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Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence
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Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence Hardcover - 1996

by Peter Unger


From the publisher

By contributing a few hundred dollars to a charity like UNICEF, a prosperous person can ensure that fewer poor children die, and that more will live reasonably long, worthwhile lives. Even when knowing this, however, most people send nothing, and almost all of the rest send little. What is the moral status of this behavior? To such common cases of letting die, our untutored response is that, while it is not very good, neither is the conduct wrong. What is the source of this lenient assessment? In this contentious new book, one of our leading philosophers argues that our intuitions about ethical cases are generated not by basic moral values, but by certain distracting psychological dispositions that all too often prevent us from reacting in accord with our commitments. Through a detailed look at how these tendencies operate, Unger shows that, on the good morality that we already accept, the fatally unhelpful behavior is monstrously wrong. By uncovering the eminently sensible
ethics that we've already embraced fully, and by confronting us with empirical facts and with easily followed instructions for lessening serious suffering appropriately and effectively, Unger's book points the way to a compassionate new moral philosophy.

From the rear cover

By sending a few hundred dollars to a group like UNICEF, any well-off person can ensure that fewer poor children die, and that more live reasonably long, worthwhile lives. But even when knowing this, almost all of us send nothing and, among the contributors, most send precious little. What's the moral status of this behavior? To such common cases of letting die, our untutored response is that, while it's not very good, neither is the conduct wrong. How can we best explain this lenient intuitive assessment? In this hard-hitting new book, philosopher Peter Unger argues that, all too often, our moral intuitions about cases are generated not by the basic moral values we hold, but by psychological dispositions that prevent us from reacting in accord with our deep moral commitments. Through a detailed look at how these disorienting tendencies operate, Unger reveals that, on the good morality we already accept, our fatally unhelpful behavior is monstrously wrong. Confronting us with both arresting facts and easily followed instructions for lessening the suffering of youngsters in mortal danger, Living High and Letting Die can help us live the morally decent lives that agree with our wonderfully deep, and deeply wonderful, true moral values.

Details

  • Title Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence
  • Author Peter Unger
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 200
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA
  • Date 1996-06-20
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780195075892 / 0195075897
  • Weight 0.96 lbs (0.44 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.29 x 6.29 x 0.86 in (23.60 x 15.98 x 2.18 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Ethics, Generosity
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 9601463
  • Dewey Decimal Code 170

About the author


Peter Unger is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He is the author of Ignorance (OUP 1975, 2002), Philosophical Relativity (1984, OUP 2002), and Identity, Consciousness, and Value (OUP 1990).
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Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence
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Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence

by Unger, Peter

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Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence

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